Ms. Olaes' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 21

• Presenting Art with Style: Portfolios NEEDED

  Funded May 17, 2024

  Thank you for providing portfolios for the students in our after school Art Colony. We are trying to teach our young artists (spanning grades 1 to 6) how to value and take care of the art that they create. When we handed out these professional portfolios and told them that they needed to select their best art pieces from home and school to place in them, there was a buzz of excitement.

  Now whenever we meet, we require that they bring their portfolios, to share their art work and to place the art work that they create during our sessions into the portfolios.

  Our conversations are now elevated - instead of simply taking home their art, they are deciding if it is their "best work" and if the quality is at a high enough level to put in their portfolios.

  Thank you for giving them the opportunity to see themselves as budding artists and to see the progression of their skills.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

• Art Portfolios: Showcasing Their Best Efforts

  Funded Apr 21, 2022

  Thank you for providing Art Portfolios for the students in my After School Art Colony. The students are creating portfolios with 6 to 10 pieces of their best art work. They will be presenting these to teachers who will be reviewing them and making recommendations of whether or not to forward them to the district level Art Demonstrations for to determine if they will be designated Talented in Visual Arts. This will also open up the opportunity to be recommended to participate in a Conservatory of Art during the next school year.

  Our students are used to drawing in notebooks and random pieces of paper. When they were provided with professional Art Portfolios, they were happy to have ONE place to put their loose art pieces. As they continue to create art, they are being encouraged to evaluate their own art and determine which pieces belong in their Portfolio. It opens up the conversations about what elements and principles of art are present in their work. Recently, an itinerant Art Teacher visited one of our meetings and gave specific feedback to students about their portfolios.

  The most important aspect of providing portfolios is so that these budding artists can see themselves becoming professional artists. Starting to create portfolios of their work will give them confidence in and evidence of their talent.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

  This classroom project was brought to life by MillerKnoll and 2 other donors.

• Artists Need Quality Materials

  Funded Jan 8, 2022

  The art supplies that were donated were placed in bags and distributed to students who expressed an interest in art and/or were in our after school Art Colony. Due to the pandemic, the Art Colony is still meeting via Zoom. Being able to pick up their bag of supplies that they could use at home was definitely appreciated.

  For some students, using quality paper, drawing with water color pencils, using water color paints from tubes, and using oil pastels was a first-time experience. We played a series of youtube videos to learn how to take care of these supplies.

  It was fun seeing budding artists experiment with different media. The brilliant colors of oil pastel, the ability to paint with water color pencil, and the unique opportunity to use water color in tubes challenged and inspired these young elementary students.

  Thank you for providing these young people with materials that allowed them to see themselves as serious, future professionals in the field of art.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.

• Starting Art Portfolios With Mixed Media Pads

  Funded Jan 8, 2022

  Students in my class and the after school Art Colony group have been using the mixed media pads for sketching with pencil, experimenting with water color pencils, and experimenting with water color paints.

  When they first received these sketch pads, they were ecstatic. Many of them had been using lined paper or copy paper. The mixed media pads helped them see themselves as serious artists.

  Since our after school program is conducted on zoom, having these pads to do their still life drawings, landscapes, and warm ups (such as Zentangles and value scales) helped them stay organized and be able to see their growth over time.

  In the future, I hope that some of the students will remember their elementary art experiences and be bold enough to carve out a professional career using their skills and talents.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.

• Engagement: Let Us Hear Our Interactive Applications

  Funded Jan 8, 2022

  Thank you for donating a class set of headphones for my students. Each student is now using their laptops in the classroom as well as at home. Before the arrival of the headphones, students had to keep the volume of their laptops down and had difficulty hearing some of the directions that were given by the apps that they were using. Now, they are able to use the headphones and hear the directions without disturbing their classmates.

  Now that my students have headphones, I am able to assign videos and interactive apps that require an audio component that they can access during class time. This has definitely increased student engagement in their daily lessons.

  Specifically for reading, areas that still needs to be developed are phonemic awareness and phonics- students need to hear all the sounds that make up words. The ability to use headphones helps the students listen to spoken words they are seeing in text and identify the discrete sounds that are connected with the letters and words.

  Thanks again for providing my class with headphones. They make a huge difference!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 2 other donors.

• Beginning Uke Players Need to Stay in Tune

  Funded Oct 28, 2021

  Thank you for providing a class set of Tuners. In our excitement to start using ukuleles for music, we realized that the first step is to make sure these instruments are in tune.

  These Korg tuners are simple to use and have helped the students to tune there ukuleles with the least amount of frustration.

  Another benefit is that the students have to repeatedly tune their ukes and have learned the GCEA pattern of their strings. This has helped them to know where to place their fingers when fingerpicking or playing chords.

  Thanks again for helping to make their musical journey be more enjoyable!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

• The Ukulele Circle: Beginning Our Musical Journey

  Funded Oct 21, 2021

  Thank you for the tuners and ukuleles for our after school program, The Ukulele Circle. This is the first year that we will be launching this program. We are starting small and hoping to build participation as we gain experience.

  Currently, we are having the Ukulele Circle meet via zoom from 3-4 on Friday afternoons. We have created a Group on our Learning Management System where students can access the zoom link and also the songs that we will be playing.

  The students are enjoying learning simple kids songs like, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Happy Birthday Song, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We also have found YouTube play alongs for some of their agr appropriate popular songs like Thunder and Stand By Me.

  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to express ourselves with music.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

• Ukuleles: Bringing the Aloha Spirit to Our Class

  Funded Oct 24, 2021

  Thank you for the class set of Ukuleles. Usually, in the 4th Grade, students learn to use a recorder. Due to the pandemic, using a woodwind instrument inside a classroom setting had some problematic issues. The ukuleles provide an alternative musical instrument that is relatively simple and exciting. We are using youtube videos on Mondays and Fridays to learn about beat, musical notes, chords, and simple play along songs. Learning to play the ukuleles is also encouraging students to learn to sing along. From a social emotional standpoint, learning to play music on a ukulele has provided another outlet for the students to express their feelings.

  Two distinct moments of joy were 1) when the ukuleles arrived and 2) when we learned to play "Incy Wincey Spider" using a youtube play along. My class knew that we were requesting Ukuleles from Donorschoose and were excited when we found out we were fully funded. We had two weeks of anticipation and then they arrived!! We were so excited that we handed them out without waiting for the carrier bags. My students couldn't wait to show them to their parents. As we started to learn chords, we used standard tab notation. When we finally used a youtube play along of a familiar song (Incy Wincey Spider", the students burst out singing - they had not been to school (due to the pandemic) since the 2nd grade and this song reminded them of "when they were young."

  The objective of our music lessons is to enjoy learning to express ourselves musically. We are currently learning simple songs to play and sing. I hope the students will be inspired to find songs that they want to learn on their own. We also usually learn a song to play for their mother or important female relative for Mother's Day.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

• Ukuleles: Adding the Sound of Music to their Virtual World

  Funded Mar 11, 2021

  Thank you so much for supporting my class by providing ukuleles and tuners. The students were so excited to pick up their ukuleles. Our school has never had a class set of ukuleles. Your support will leave a lasting impression on these students because they started the year online and remained online for most of the year. These ukuleles provided them with the opportunity to express themselves in a more organic way.

  Although most of the students did not know how to play the ukulele or any other instrument, they were all motivated to learn and practice because the goal was to play a song on Mother's Day to someone important to them. They chose to learn "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars and "Como La Flor" by Selena. These were challenging songs but Youtube Play Along videos, Bernadette Teaches Music tutorials, and practice/enthusiasm helped a lot.

  Because of the pandemic, these students were given the option of keeping their ukuleles or returning them. Most kept them and are continuing to learn and play with their families. At our school, we will be starting a small after school Ukulele Club - The Ukulele Circle - for students who would like to continue to learn in a group setting. Currently, we are discussing both an online OR a classroom setting for the club, depending on the social distancing mandates.

  Thank you for bringing music into the lives of my class. In an unprecedented year of online learning during a pandemic, your support gave these students an unforgettable memory, a social emotional connection, the chance to express themselves beyond academics, and the joy of learning how to play the ukulele.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

• Art Colony Needs Portfolios to Showcase Their Best Work

  Funded May 6, 2020

  Receiving the 30 portfolios was a joy for me as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator of my school. Finally, I am able to give professional portfolios to students who need to save and protect their artwork. And, I am able to give them the psychological boost of seeing themselves as artist.

  Due to the pandemic, distributing the portfolios has been delayed. However, for the few students who have already received them (hand delivered) - they are full of pride. They have already been scouring their artwork to decide which ones qualify to be placed in their portfolios.

  As the coordinator of our school's Art Colony, the after school voluntary Art Club, I love the fact that they are evaluating their own work and picking out their personal bests. I am looking forward to guiding them to select pieces that display. their knowledge of the elements and principles of art.

  The next step is to distribute the rest of the portfolios (either by hand delivery or snail mail). And, to work with the students to create, evaluate, and display their work.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Olaes

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 7 other donors.